James Chase - No Orchids for Miss Blandish

“I’m not deaf,” Flynn said sulkily.

“And you, Eddie?”

“I heard you the first time, Ma.”

“Okay.” Ma reached for a cigarette and lit it. “This girl is worth a million dollars to us. She has been missing since midnight. By now Blandish will have alerted the cops and they will have alerted the Feds. We’ve got to contact Blandish and tell him to call off the Feds and get a million dollars in used bills ready for delivery. We shouldn’t have any trouble with him. He has the money and he wants his daughter back,” She looked at Eddie. “Go downtown and telephone Blandish. Tell him he’ll get instructions soon how he is to deliver the money. Warn him if he tries to double-cross us, his daughter will suffer. I don’t have to tell you what to say: make it raw and crude.”

“Sure, Ma,” Eddie said.

“Then get off.”

As Eddie rose to his feet, he asked, “What’s the split going to be, Ma? I’m the guy who spotted the girl. I ought to get more than the rest.”

“We haven’t got it yet,” Ma said curtly. “We’ll talk about it when we do get it.”

“And how about me?” Flynn put in. “I was there too.”

“Yeah?” Eddie answered. “If it hadn’t been for me you would have gone to bed.”

“Shut up!” Ma snapped. “Get off!”

Eddie hesitated, then meeting the hard little eyes, he shrugged and left the room. They heard the Buick start up and drive away.

“Now, you,” Ma said to Flynn. “Who knows we’re connected with Riley and his gang and with what happened last night?”

Flynn scratched his head.

“Well, there’s Johnny, of course. He saw what happened and he knows we took the girl, but Johnny’s okay. He’s burying the three stiffs and getting rid of their car. We’ll have to do something for him, Ma. Riley promised him a quarter share. The old fella expects us to see him right.”

“We’ll see him right,” Ma said, “Who else is there?”

Flynn thought for a moment.

“There’s the boy at the filling station. He saw Eddie talking to Riley. I guess he saw I had a gun. Maybe he even saw the girl.”

“No one else?”

“No.”

“I’m not taking any chances. Take care of the boy. He might talk. Get going.”

When Flynn had gone, Ma settled more comfortably in her chair. She was aware that Doc Williams was prowling restlessly around the room and seemed uneasy. She looked questioningly at him. Her relations with him were on a different level from those of the rest of the gang. He was a man of education and that was something she respected.

She knew some years ago, Doc Williams had been a successful surgeon. He had been married to a woman twenty years younger than himself. She had suddenly gone off with his chauffeur and he had taken to the bottle. A few months later, while drunk, he had attempted a brain operation and the patient had died. He was tried for manslaughter and drew five years. He was struck off the register. Flynn had met him in prison and had brought him to Ma when they came out. Ma had been smart enough to realize the advantage of having a brilliant surgeon and doctor attached to the gang. From then on, she didn’t have to worry about finding a doctor if any of her boys got shot. She kept Doc supplied with liquor and he looked after her boys.

“Handled right,” Ma said, “we’re in a safe position. I’m going to pass the word around that Riley snatched this girl. Sooner or later, the word will reach the cops. They’ll look for him and when they find he’s missing, they’ll be sure he snatched the girl.” She grinned, showing her large false teeth. “So long as they don’t dig them up, they’ll go on thinking they snatched the girl and we’ll be in the clear.”

Doc sat down. He lit a cigar. His movements were slow. His drink raddled face was worried.

“I don’t like kidnapping,” he said. “It’s a cruel, horrible business. I’m sorry for the girl and her father. I don’t like it.”

Ma smiled. Doc was the only member of the gang allowed to speak his mind or offer advice. Ma seldom took his advice, but she liked to listen to him. He was someone to talk to when she was lonely, and sometimes his advice was sound.

“You’re a soft old fool,” she said contemptuously. “The girl has had everything up to now. Let her suffer. Her old man’s worth millions. He can afford to suffer too. I’ve suffered: so have you. Suffering does people good.”

“Yes,” Doc said. He poured himself a stiff drink. “But she is young and beautiful. It is such a waste of a young life. You don’t intend to send her back to her father?”

“No, she isn’t going back. When the money is paid, we’ll have to get rid of her. She knows too much.”

Doc shifted uneasily.

“I don’t like it, but I suppose it’s not my business.” He emptied his glass and refilled it. “This is a big thing, Ma. I don’t like any of it.”

“You’ll like the money when you get your share,” Ma said cynically.

Doc stared at his glass.

“It’s a long time now since I got excited about money. There’s something I want to tell you. Slim behaved very oddly with the girl: very oddly indeed.”

Ma looked sharply at him.

“What do you mean?”

“I was under the impression that Slim had no use for women. You told me that, didn’t you?”

“Yes, and I’m glad of it,” Ma said. “I’ve had enough trouble with him without having that kind of trouble.”

“He’s interested in this girl,” Doc said quietly. “I’ve never seen him act the way he acted when he set eyes on her. He seemed smitten: like a kid gets smitten with a first love. I’m sorry, Ma, but I think you are going to have that kind of trouble with him now.”

Ma’s face tightened and her eyes snapped.

“You aren’t kidding, are you?”

“No. When you see them together, you’ll know I’m right. He seemed anxious for her to have the diamonds. He’s got them. Have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Ma said grimly. “He’ll give them to me when I ask for them. So you really think he’s fallen for this girl?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“I’ll soon stop that,” Ma said. “I’m not having woman trouble in this house!”

“Don’t be too sure,” Doc said gravely. “Slim’s dangerous. He could turn on you. The trouble with you, Ma, is you won’t face up to the fact he isn’t normal...”

“Shut up!” Ma snarled. This was a forbidden subject. “I’m not listening to that crap. Slim’s all right I can handle him. Leave it that way.”

Doc shrugged. He took a drink. His face was beginning to flush. It took very little liquor now to make Doc drunk.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I want you to write a letter to Blandish,” Ma said, changing the subject. “Well deliver it tomorrow. Tell him to have the money ready in a white suitcase. He is to put an ad in the Tribune, to appear the day after tomorrow, offering kegs of white paint for sale. That’ll tell us the money is ready. Warn him what will happen to the girl if he tries a double cross.”

“All right, Ma,” Doc said and taking his glass, he left the room.

The old woman sat for some time, thinking. What Doc had told her, disturbed her. If Slim had fallen for this girl, then the sooner she was got rid of the better. She tried to convince herself Doc was exaggerating. Slim had always been scared of girls. She had watched him grow up. She was sure he had never had any sexual experience.

She got to her feet.

I’d better talk to him, she thought. I’ll get the necklace from him. I’ll have to be careful how I sell it. Maybe it would be safer to keep it for a while. It’ll be hotter than a stove for months.

She went upstairs to Slim’s room.